Can I put an access hatch in my rated garage ceiling?

Only with a rated detail. Any hatch interrupts the assembly. It is a common find in Mactaggart garages where storage access was cut in afterwards and never addressed.

Can pot lights go in a rated ceiling?

Only with fixtures and firestopping suited to that assembly. A standard fixture cut into a rated Mactaggart ceiling breaks the separation. We coordinate the locations with your electrician so the penetrations are handled before we tape.

Is a fire-rated wall also soundproof?

It helps a little because it is denser, but rating and acoustic performance are separate specifications. A suite separation usually needs both, built together. If sound is the real goal we would rather design for it explicitly.

Does the rated wall have to go above the ceiling?

Yes. A separation that stops at a suspended ceiling is not a separation — fire and smoke go over it. The wall runs to the structure above and is sealed at both ends. It is the detail most often missed in conversions.

Do you install fire-rated drywall in Mactaggart?

Yes — fire-rated drywall in Mactaggart is part of our regular work, and we are usually booked within the week. We also cover Aspen Gardens, Bearspaw, Blue Quill and Whitemud.

Do you stand behind your fire-rated work in Mactaggart?

Yes. We install to code and walk the Mactaggart job with you, and if something is not right we come back and make it right.

Fire-Rated Drywall Mactaggart Edmonton | Type X Board

Type X board in Mactaggart for garages, suites and mechanical rooms

No shortcuts on Mactaggart fire-rating — separations, suites and party walls need code Type X rated assemblies to clear inspection and keep people safe. In Mactaggart we install fire-rated drywall to code and finish it clean. Mactaggart is one of Whitemud's newer communities, where fresh installation and first-year settling work are common, so fire-rated work here is common on garages and suites. We cover Mactaggart, Aspen Gardens, Bearspaw, Blue Quill and Whitemud, 7 days a week.

Finished clean and inspection-ready
Party walls between units
Basement legal-suite fire separations
Furnace and mechanical room enclosures
Garage-to-house firewall separations
Type X fire-rated board to code in Mactaggart
Party walls and legal-suite separations

Our Mactaggart fire-rated drywall process, step by step

Right board, right build-up

In Mactaggart we confirm the required rating, then install the correct Type X board in the right layers — the assembly, not just the board, is what carries the rating.

Seal and finish

Penetrations and edges are where a rated assembly fails, so we firestop and seal them, then tape and finish the board clean. An Mactaggart separation the inspector approves and the eye approves too.

Mactaggart drywall in context

About Mactaggart

The MacTaggart neighbourhood takes its name from Sandy Auld Mactaggart, a local entrepreneur and philanthropist with provincial, national and international achievements in business, the arts, and education.

What we see in Mactaggart

In Mactaggart the drywall work is first-year settling, basement dev for first owners, Level 5 over builder-grade. We confirm what your home actually needs on site, in writing, before anything starts.

Board thickness and why 5/8 is standard here

Not just thicker

Type X is 5/8 inch because the core needs that mass and the glass-fibre reinforcement to hold together as the gypsum calcines under heat.

The common error

Using 1/2 inch board in a rated Mactaggart assembly because it is what was on site. It looks identical once finished and it is not the tested assembly. Board arriving on site is checked against the specification rather than assumed.

Joints, screws and the details inspectors actually check

The parts nobody photographs

A rated assembly in Mactaggart depends on screw spacing, joints landing on framing, and joints being taped and filled. Loose screw spacing, unsupported butt joints and untaped joints are the usual reasons a rated wall does not pass.

Two-layer assemblies

Where the assembly is two layers, the second layer joints are offset from the first so no joint runs straight through the wall. That offset is part of the rating, not a finishing preference.

Rated does not mean soundproof

Two different goals

People often assume a fire-rated Mactaggart wall is also a sound wall. It is denser than a standard wall so it helps a little, but rating and acoustic performance are separate specifications.

When both are needed

A suite separation usually needs both, and they are built together. If sound is what you actually care about, we would rather design for that explicitly than let a rating imply it.

What happens when an assembly is altered later

Every future trade is a risk

A rated Mactaggart wall or ceiling stays rated only while nobody cuts an unsealed hole in it. Later work — a fan, a light, a duct, a speaker — can quietly undo it.

What we leave you

We photograph the rated work before covering it, so there is a record of what is behind the finish for whoever works on the house next.

Fire-rated garages, suites and party walls in Mactaggart

Garage firewalls

The most common fire-rated job in Mactaggart is the garage-to-house separation — Type X board on the common wall and ceiling. Code-compliant install and finish.

Legal suites and shared walls

Frequent work in Mactaggart homes and multi-unit buildings. We build the rated separations these require. See our legal suite drywall page.

How it works

Simple, clean, on schedule — Fire-Rated Drywall in Mactaggart Edmonton

Free quote

We come out to your Mactaggart Edmonton property, take a real look at the fire-rated drywall, and hand you a fixed price on the spot — no guessing, no vague ballpark. Every fire-rated drywall quote in Mactaggart Edmonton starts with an honest, on-site assessment.

Book a day

We pick a day that works for your schedule and show up on time, ready to start the fire-rated drywall in Mactaggart Edmonton. No back-and-forth rescheduling — once it's booked, our team is there.

The work

We keep the dust under control and protect your Mactaggart Edmonton home while we finish the fire-rated drywall to a clean, paint-ready standard. Floors covered, doors sealed off, and the site left tidy at the end of every day.

Walk it with you

We don't pack up till you've walked the finished fire-rated drywall with us and you're happy with the result in Mactaggart Edmonton. If anything needs a second look, we handle it before we call the job done.

Reviews

Rated by Edmonton Homeowners

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Emplastrum Drywall is the fire-rated drywall contractor Mactaggart Edmonton trusts for repair, restoration and finishing — rated on Google by Edmonton homeowners.

Read the reviews, or leave your own after your fire-rated drywall project in Mactaggart Edmonton.

Read our reviews on Google

FAQ — Fire-Rated Drywall Mactaggart Edmonton

Fire-Rated Drywall Mactaggart Edmonton: your questions answered

Can I put an access hatch in my rated garage ceiling?: Only with a rated detail. Any hatch interrupts the assembly. It is a common find in Mactaggart garages where storage access was cut in afterwards and never addressed.
Can pot lights go in a rated ceiling?: Only with fixtures and firestopping suited to that assembly. A standard fixture cut into a rated Mactaggart ceiling breaks the separation. We coordinate the locations with your electrician so the penetrations are handled before we tape.
Is a fire-rated wall also soundproof?: It helps a little because it is denser, but rating and acoustic performance are separate specifications. A suite separation usually needs both, built together. If sound is the real goal we would rather design for it explicitly.
Does the rated wall have to go above the ceiling?: Yes. A separation that stops at a suspended ceiling is not a separation — fire and smoke go over it. The wall runs to the structure above and is sealed at both ends. It is the detail most often missed in conversions.
Do you install fire-rated drywall in Mactaggart?: Yes — fire-rated drywall in Mactaggart is part of our regular work, and we are usually booked within the week. We also cover Aspen Gardens, Bearspaw, Blue Quill and Whitemud.
Do you stand behind your fire-rated work in Mactaggart?: Yes. We install to code and walk the Mactaggart job with you, and if something is not right we come back and make it right.

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Estimate only — rounded up, based on standard coverage rates (drywall +10% waste; paint ~350 sq ft per gallon per coat; batt bundles by cavity depth, less a framing factor; studs at your chosen spacing plus waste). Product coverage varies by brand — confirm quantities before buying. Ask us about the right R-value for your project.

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Fire-Rated Drywall Mactaggart Edmonton

Type X board in Mactaggart for garages, suites and mechanical rooms